New York Red Bulls: Sam Cosgrove the perfect Bradley Wright-Phillips replacement

The New York Red Bulls have been linked with Aberdeen striker Sam Cosgrove. Is this the player who can be the successor to Bradley Wright-Phillips?

The void left by Bradley Wright-Phillips on the New York Red Bulls’ roster is a big one.

Even last season, one in which he was still present at the club but largely absent through injury and poor form, it was quite clear that the Red Bulls would have to replace their record goalscorer and greatest-ever player.

Thankfully, that hole may soon be remedied. Sam Cosgrove of Aberdeen has been linked to a possible move to the Eastern Conference club this offseason.

Just 23, Cosgrove has been a very successful striker in the Scottish top flight. This season, he has scored 11 goals in 19 appearances, which is on pace to match his 16 goals and 30 appearances last season. In total, he’s scored 42 goals in 77 career appearances for Aberdeen.

His impressive goalscoring record has garnered attention and the New York Red Bulls are not the only club interested. Multiple EFL Championship clubs have been linked to Cosgrove.

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There is no doubt Cosgrove can give the Red Bulls an edge in 2020. He is a young striker who could come in right away and help alleviate the loss of Wright-Phillips. Having averaged at least a goal per every other match during his career at Aberdeen his potential arrival to the club cannot be overlooked.

The Red Bulls don’t currently have a forward on their roster who has scored 10 goals in a single season. This is a concern entering the 2020 campaign as they cannot afford to encounter any goal droughts in what should be another tight playoff race.

For five consecutive seasons, Wright-Phillips put together incredible goalscoring numbers. That was until last year when the Red Bull’s star striker was unable to make it a sixth year of 10 goals or more. As a result, the Red Bulls got their first taste of what life will be like without their prolific scorer.

Cosgrove has the potential to be a goalscorer of high quality. He could very well put up 15 or more goals in his first year in MLS which would give a massive boost to the Red Bulls. This is exactly the kind of player they need to move forward from the Wright-Phillips era with.